A day in the life of a single mom raising a teenager and a child with autism. I believe that it's not what we receive, but what we give away that defines us. I want to give away all that I have learned and experienced in hopes that it will help families raising a child with autism or any disability. This is my candid journal where I open up my world and share my joys, knowledge, lessons, disappointments, challenges, frustrations, fears and successes - one day at a time.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Playdates and Possibilities not Disabilities!

Things that make me wonder…who really are the disabled ones?

To look at these pictures you would never know that you were looking at any kids with ASD. I dare you to tell me which of these kids has ASD...I say you can't. Because in these special moments it is clear that they are not "their disability". They are just their spirits, they are happy children, they are kids having fun participating in the world.

I can’t tell you how great these moments are, the moments where our kids are just like all the neuron-typicals…in a good way, the best way, they have friends, they are having fun and they are simply blending in. It’s such a big moment for us because so often we just want to blend in, go un-noticed and we don’t. Our kids stand out, because of the not so cool social behaviors they are engaged in, or because they are totally un-engaged and in a world of their own. But, not in these pictures!

Of course, beyond these pictures are the real stories of these kids and they have challenges too, but none of that matters. What matters is that these kids love each other. They love each other unconditionally and they love each other because they can. They love without judgment, they never compete, they are never jealous, they never seek “pay back”, they never say things to intentionally hurt each other and they never stay mad.They just love each other the best that they can and they accept each other in a way that is so precious and so sincere. They have fun in a way that is pure joy, because they are not distracted by the world and it’s ideas about how things should be.They really do live in the moment and experience unconditional love.